Los Angeles may face ballot measure that could crimp its plans for hosting the 2028 Olympics

Preparing to host the 2028 Olympics, Los Angeles is facing a proposed ballot measure that would force a citywide vote to approve building plans for the Games.

The measure would cause at least five venues to be voted on before approval, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The proposal comes as one response to a business group that is seeking to overturn the City Council's May approval of bringing the minimum wage for hotel and airport workers to $30 per hour in 2028, the Times reported.

The measure was introduced by Unite Here Local 11, an organization that represents hotel and restaurant workers.

In June, the organization filed paperwork for a ballot measure to require voters to approve of the development or expansion of major event centers.  This measure includes temporary and permanent facilities.

This marks another challenge for the city as it prepares to host the games.  Other difficulties include difficulty in securing sponsors and the search for shuttle buses.

This new proposal only applies to venues outside the city limits which, if the venues are not approved, Los Angeles would be forced to host an Olympic game where only a handful of the venues are inside the city.

Eric Sheehan, a spokesperson for NOlympics, an organization that stands in opposition to the 2028 Olympics, said from the beginning, voters ought to have been given the chance to decide whether L.A. should host the games.

“What would be stronger would be the chance for Angelenos to vote on whether or not we want the Olympics at all,” he said.

The Times highlighted the measure what these venues, specifically hotels would do, to the city and how they would hamper the city’s ability to construct new housing and be a burden on the city’s social services.

The measure states that large-scale projects “may take the place of other projects that otherwise could have more directly benefited city residents.”

Five venues that could be subject to citywide election were identified by Paul Krekorian, former City Councilmember and head of Mayor Karen Bass’ Office of Special Events. Those include the Los Angeles Convention Center, the John C. Argue Swim Stadium in Exposition Park and the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area in the San Fernando Valley, which is set to host skateboarding, 3-on-3 basketball and other competitions, according to the LA Times.

“The proposed measure would make vital projects essential for our city and these Games potentially impossible to complete,” Krekorian told The Times. “It would also require costly special elections before even relatively small projects could begin.”

Some elected officials are calling the measure irresponsible due to the fact that, if it qualifies, it is unlikely to appear on a ballot until June 2026.

“This is bad for people who build things, bad for people who operate things, bad for people who work in buildings like these,” Councilmember Tim McOsker said. “[The proposal] harms real people and it harms the economy.”

Unite Here backed McOsker in his 2022 election.

The nonprofit responsible for organizing the 2028 Games, LA28, is monitoring the situation, though the organization has not stated whether the proposal will affect any Olympic venues.